Communion-service tray.



J. -G. THOMAS. ODKMUNION BBRVIOB TRAY.

APPLIO'HOI IILBD KAB. 12, 101B.

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Patented May 6, 1913.

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Specification of Letters Eateiit.

i COMMUNION-SERVICE TRAY.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Application lepd March 12., 1912. Serial No. 683,250.

To allwlzom itmay concern.' .A

Be it known that I JoHN G. Trioiims, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county of Allen and State` of Ohio, have invented certain 'new and useful Improvements in Communion-Service Trays, of which the following is n specification.

My use in individual communion service, and it consists in a tra possessing the peculiar and ractically a vantageous characteristics iereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings wlncliare hereby made a part hereof: Figure 1 is'a diametrical section of a tray constructed in accordance with my inventlon. Iig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig; 3 is a diametrieal section illustrative of t e manner 1n which a plurality of my novel trays are supe rposed. Fig. 4 is a detail section taken .in the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and showing the manner in which the a ertured plates of the trays may be padded w en deemed expedient.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawin s.

My nove tray comprises apertured glass-receiving plate ositioned within the same, as bestsliown in Fi .1. The body is made in one piece and preferably of a sheet metal consonant with its purpose; and it comprises a side wall 1, preferably though not necessarily circular, and a bottom wall 2 which is preferably ribbed, as indicated by 3, to give it increased stiffness and stren th. The said bottom wall 2 is disposed in a horizontal ilane above the lower ed e of the side wall 1 and is joined with sai side wall through the medium of an outwardly and downwardly inclined and annular portion of metal 4 interposed between the side wall and the bottom wall. Because of this a chamber is afforded in the lower portion of the tray for an im ortant purpose hereinafter set forth. It will also e seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the ortion of metal 4 is bent upon itself w ich ves it increased rigidity and strength and tiat it is flared outward from the side wall 1 so that the diameter of its ed e is slightly a body and an less .than that of the upper an referably beaded edge of said side wall 1. nteriorliy]I the side wall 1 of the body is provided wit resent invention relates to trays for an upperled e 5 and a lower ledge 6 and in the wall s ightly above the latter ledge 1s rovided an aperture 7 for a purpose that wi l hereafter be set forth.

l The apertured plate 8 of the tray is provided with a de ending marginal flange 9, designed to rest 1n the tray body and on the lower ledge 6 thereof, as shown. On said flange is a radial stud l0 and this stud is adapted to be positioned in the aperture 7, Fig. 1, with a view to ireventing rotation or other movement or sinking of the plate 8 in the body. It will be noticed, however, that the disposition of the stud 10 in the aperture 7 does not interfere with the plate 8 bein expeditiously and easily separated from t e tray body to facilitate washing and drying of the tray. The plate 8 is apertured, by preference, in the manner shown-- 2'., e., the inner apertures 11, which are clesigned to receive filled glasses, are smaller than the outer apertures 12, which are designed to receive empty glasses that are handed back by the communicants. However, the said plate 8 may be apertured in any approved manner without affecting my invention; and I would here have it also understood that without involving departure from the scope of my invention the plate at points adacent the outer apertures 12 may e padde as indicated by 13, or the plate at dpoints adjacent all of the aiertures 11 an 12 may be padded, oil the pa dings may be altogether omitted from the plate.

When trays embodying my invention are su erposed after the manner shown in Fig. 3 it will be manifest that the upper tray rests within the side wall of the lower tray and on the upper ledge 5 of said tray, and hence there is no liability of either tray moving edgewise with respect to the other. From this it follows that an indefinite number of trays superposed as stated may be handled as a unit without liability of accident. It will also be observed in this connection that when a plurality of the trays are superposed or stacked in the manner stated, the chambers in the bottoms of the upper trays receive the upper portions of the cups or glasses in the lower trays and the trays above do not touch the glasses in the trays below them. It will further be observed that the lasses or cups in each of the lower trays wi be dust-proof, fly-proof and dirt-proof.

Hating @crib-@army inveneinwheff1. claim `and desire'` to secure` by Letters P a't-p.. ent, is:

A tray comprlsing a Abody having e; sidei wall and a bottom, the bottom be1ngdis posed above the lower ed e of the side wall, the side wall below the ottom wall being iared outward, the side wall being greater in diameter at its upper and lower edges than at its intermediate portion and provided above the bottom with an u per 'and a lower ledge, the diameter of t e upper ledge being approximately the same as the greatest diameter of the flared portion of the side wall, an apertured plate Ihaving a depending peripheral flange, said flange resting 'upon the lower ledge whereby the plate isnsupported in the body below the upper ledge and spaced from the bottom, the plate -whe'ir position in a tray having its apertured ortion lying in a plane at a distance from t e lane in which the upper edge of the tray ies approximately equal to the distance from the bottom of the tray to the planein'ivhich the lower ed e thereof lies.

In testlmon whereof I a x my signature 1n presence o two Witnesses.

JOHN G. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

fR. C. EAsrrMAN, P. A. KAHLE.

Copies n! this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

